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Diamonds discovered near Kimberley, West Griqualand
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Basutoland becomes British Crown Colony
This displaced the Khoikhoi and Sotho peoples, encroaching on Bantu land -
Cecil Rhodes moves to South Africa, aged 18
He believed in British superiority and the civilising mission, as well as money. -
Griqualand West becomes British Crown Colony
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Griqualand East becomes British Crown Colony
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Bartle Frere appointed High Commissioner for Southern Africa
Frere rose the ranks of the Indian civil service, committing himself to imperialism. He was dismissed a year later for initiating the Zulu War against King Certshwayo. -
Xhosa War begins
British attempted to obtain Xhosa land -
Transvaal Colony established
The autonomous Boer community was financially bankrupt and militarily threatened by the Zulu and Pedi. Britain annexed it. -
Anglo-Zulu War concludes
After an initial shock defeat at Isandlwana in January, the British held out at Rorke's Drift and emerged victorious. The Kingdom of Zululand became a British protectorate. This was done in collaboration with the Boers and the British government, defeating the Pedi at Ulundi to incorporate the land into Natal. The victors used indigenous peoples as diamond mining labour. -
Convention of Pretoria
Transvaal disputedly retained its independence. -
British lose Battle of Majuba Hill
After a final, decisive battle for the Boers, Gladstone refused to commit further troops, time or money to the First Boer War. Boers had declared independence a year previously after the defeat of the Zulus, Kruger's men attacking British garrisons in the Transvaal. The Boers now stressed limited rights for Black africans, and the Bantu peoples lived in segregation, enjoying none of the profit from the mining industries. This battle killed 150 Brits. -
Convention of London
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Bechuanaland North Protectorate established
John MacKenzie, a Methodist missionary, had put pressure on the British government to establish this protectorate. Christian values, masculinity and athleticism were taught as fundamental in British all-boys private schools. The idea of Muscular Christianity, a cultural supremacy combined with the 'civilising' mission of empire, often laid the groundwork for imperialism. It satisfied Christians' duty to spread the gospel. Mary Carpenter and Slessor succeeded in using missionary activity. NIg+INd -
Bechuanaland South becomes Crown Colony
This was done to prevent the Boers from aligning and combining with the newly arriving Germans. -
South Africa's main export becomes gold
Gold was discovered in Witwatersrand, near the Transvaal capital of Pretoria. A second gold rush by Uitlanders followed, prompting Kruger to impose heavy taxes and civil rights abuses. The British Uitlanders, numbering 50,000, were unable to vote unless they were over 40 and had been living in the Transvaal for over 14 years. -
British South Africa Company founded
Its royal charter came into effect on this day. Cecil Rhodes' brainchild established the colony of Rhodesia and pressed for expansion at the expense of German and Boer interests. His ownership of all the diamond mines in South Africa allowed him to secure discovered gold in Witwatersrand. The De Beers Mining Company was created, and Rhodes encouraged his vision of a British Empire from Cape to Cairo. The Company established a fort at Salisbury a year later. -
Rhodes appointed Prime Minister of Cape Colony
Appointed after the successful British annexation of Rhodesia. Germany would soon occupy East Africa, frustrating Rhodes' British railway line project from cape to Central Africa via Bechuanaland. He had a personal rivalry with Boer President of the Transvaal Paul Kruger, and aimed to create a South African Federation. -
Gandhi begins legal career in South Africa
Having failed to establish his own law firm in India, Gandhi championed civil rights and criticised colonialism. He has faced revisionist criticism over his role in preventing the rights of Black Africans. -
Southern Rhodesia formally proclaimed
Followed the suppression of the Shona and Ndebele uprisings -
Jameson Raid begins
Rhodes' man-on-the-spot in Rhodesia led a raid of 500 agents and 6 guns, hoping to provoke an uprising. Transvaal soldiers blocked the road to Johannesburg, the British surrendering after 4 days. The British agents were spared capital punishment by a £1million compensation by the British South Africa Company. The fiasco forced Rhodes out of Prime Minister of the Cape Colony, and emboldened the German-supported Boers, who formed an Afrikaner Bond with those in the Cape. -
Alfred Milner becomes High Commissioner for Southern Africa
Handpicked by Chamberlain, Milner viewed British rule as superior to the Boers and took a paternalist view towards indigenous peoples. He approved segregation, prompting Churchill to criticise Natal's racism towards indians and africans. He negotiated the peace at Vereeniging in 1902. He held the position until 1905, supporting a group of young lawyers and administrators to resettle the Boers and drive economic growth. He established English-speaking schools in Pretoria and Johannesburg for migr -
Bloemfontein Conference
Kruger refused to grant voting rights to the Uitlanders, prompting a British mobilisation and an ultimatum that ran out, initiating war. -
Second Anglo-Boer War begins
Transvaal and the Orange Free State declare war on the British Empire, initiating a three-year war that committed £250 million and 400,000 British troops. The 20,00 Boer concentration camp deaths hung over British eventual victory, as well as a concession that non-white people would be denied voting rights. -
Emily Hobhouses publishes welfare report
"Report of a visit to the Camps of Women and Children in the Cape and Orange River Colonies". Hobhouse's efforts led to a government enquiry, as over 20,000 deaths occurred in British concentration camps, of which 90% were children. She criticised the conditions, symbolising how some of the Empire's biggest critics were not against the continuation of Empire, rather the manner in which Britain conducted itself abroad. Directly undermined Britain's moral, civilising mission/ -
Treaty of Vereeniging signed, Boer War ends
An embarassment for the British, the conflict had lasted for 3 years. In it, Boer strength of 47,000 and 15,000 Africans was dwarfed by 347,000 British troops, 100,000 a piece colonial and African troops. 22,000 British troops died, 16,000 from disease, and 75% of recruits from Manchester being rejected due to unfitness sparked the 'national efficiency' debate. Kitchener had to pursue a scorched earth policy. The Boers were compensated £3 million and their colonies integrated. -
Hely-Hutchinson becomes High Commissioner
Milner admitted South Africa's mess due to Boer-supported apartheid. His plans for the Transvaal were rejected by the Liberal government and he became Chairman of the Rio Tinto mining business in London. His vigourous and expansionist policy had alienated the Boers. -
Transvaal achieves self-government
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Orange River Colony achieves self-government
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Nyasaland Protectorate begins
British Central African Protectorate combined with Rhodes' British South Africa Company owned rights to profits of any minerals mined in the area -
Union of South Africa becomes a Dominion
Followed the passing of the South Africa Act 1909 that unified Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal and Orange River Colony. -
Afrikaner National Party elected on Apartheid policy
Apartheid = apartness, aimed to segregate indigenous Africans from settlers. Within 2 years, the party banned inter-racial sex and marriage and redistributed 80% of land to the White minority. The African National Congress were violently suppressed e.g Sharpeville massacre. -
Central African Federation established
United Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Local nationalists demanded self-determination from the White governors. Aimed to prevent the spread of aprtheid. -
Nelson Mandela arrested for the first time
A descendant of the Thembu, Mandela studied law and became a lwayer in Johannesburg. He founded the youth league of the African National Congress in 1944, and led a campaign against apartheid in 1952. -
Central African Federation dissolves
This followed PM Macmillan's declaration of a state of emergency in Nyasaland. -
Nyasaland achieves independence as Malawi
Hastings Banda became this country's first President, which also joined the Commonwealth -
Northern Rhodesia achieves independence as Zambia
Kenneth Kaunda becomes the first President of this republic, which joined the Commonwealth of Nations. Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland has pressured Southern Rhodesia for their discriminatory laws. -
Ian Smith of the Rhodesian Front issues UDI
The Rhodesian Front represented the White minority (Southern Rhodesia), initially led by Winston Field. Ian Smith defied the British government's attempts to negotiate a majority rule solution, and declared independence, igniting a Civil War which Robert Mugabe eventually won and led Zimbabwe 1979. Led to years of isolation and boycotts over Rhodesia. British sanctions were undermined by South Africa's national Party continuing trade. -
British Bechuanaland (Botswana) achieves independence
Became a presidential republic. -
British Basutoland (Lesotho) achieves indepndence
Became a Kingdom (King Moshoshoe II)